Gender Equality and the IMF briefing launch

Washington, D.C., United States

Co-authored by WIEGO’s International Coordinator, Marty Chen, and WIEGO’s Deputy Director of the Social Protection programme, Rachel Moussié, the publication “The IMF and Gender Equality: A Compendium of Feminist Macroeconomic Critiques” was launched at the International Monetary Fund on October 11, 2017.

The volume is a result from the Gender Equality and Macroeconomics project, an initiative from the Bretton Woods Project (BWP) and the Gender and Development Network (GADN). It was launched electronically, and it contains a series of briefings that examine the impact of macro policies promoted by international financial institutions over gender equality in developing countries.

The briefing written by Marty and Rachel is entitled “The IMF, Gender Equality and Labour: Turning a blind eye to women in the informal economy”, and it can be downloaded here. On this briefing, the authors analyze the IMF’s approach to labour market policies, in particular to female labour force participation, in the context of women in the informal economy. This briefing argues that the Fund’s interest in raising female labour force participation rates does not mark a significant shift in policy, nor a commitment to addressing gender inequality.

Rachel Moussié presented the briefing at the release of the publication. On the same panel, WIEGO partners, the Center for Economic and Social Rights, as well as Samir Aita, Président du Cercles des économistes du monde Arabe, also presented their research on the informal economy. At the Event, Rachel also presented the study in a session on behalf of the Global Coalition on Social Protection Floors, at a World Bank panel.

More information

Learn more about the BTW’s Gender Equality and Macroeconomics project

Read the briefing “The IMF, Gender Equality and Labour: Turning a blind eye to women in the informal economy”, by Martha Chen and Rachel Moussié